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Tour peloton shrugs of cobblestone worry
AFP - Tuesday, July 6
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BRUSSELS (AFP) - – The thought of racing over some of the most dangerous terrain in this year's Tour de France has left many of the race peloton, perhaps understandably, in collective denial mode.
Tuesday's third stage from Wanze in Belgium to Arenberg in northern France features seven sections of cobblestones that are expected to take a heavy toll on the peloton, including many yellow jersey contenders.
Coming a day after the race route pays homage to Liege-Bastogne-Liege by riding into the Belgian Ardennes, the 213km ride into Paris-Roubaix country is one that not many of the peloton will have experienced.
"Around two thirds of the peloton haven't got real experience of these kind of cobbles," said Marc Madiot, a former winner of the Paris-Roubaix one-day classic and current team manager of Francaise des Jeux.
"When you go from racing on the tarmac to the cobbles, it is going to be a big shock."
Racing on cobblestones not only shakes bike and body, and leads to punctures and potential race-ending crashes, but also spreads a general feeling of unease among the peloton.
Seven-time champion Lance Armstrong was among several riders to predict "carnage" on the sectors, the last four of which feature regularly on Paris-Roubaix -- ominously known as the 'Hell of the North'.
However, some believe the approach to the cobbles will cause most damage as teams with riders desperate not to lose time in the yellow jersey race hurry to stay at the front to avoid getting caught up in the melee.
"It will be a big fight tomorrow for everybody," Garmin-Transitions team rider Johan Van Summeren, a Belgian who is used to the tough terrain, told AFP.
"I think that riding on the cobbles themselves won't be the problem. The chaos will come when all the teams try to push to the front before the cobbled sections.
"The GC (general classifciation) riders don't usually do the cobbles, eh?"
Ahead of Monday's stage, some were preferring to keep all thoughts of the cobbles to the backs of their minds -- Armstrong included.
The American, who started Monday still fourth place overall and the best-placed of all the yellow jersey challengers would likely not object to his key rivals losing time.
"It's nice to think, but to be honest we've got to think about today -- it's a complicated stage and I don't want to start thinking about that (prospect of tackling the cobbles)," said the American before Monday's stage.
Britain's Bradley Wiggins is one of the few yellow jersey men who is expected to fly over the cobbles as he has raced Paris-Roubaix several times.
His Sky team manager Dave Brailsford, however, was keeping his thoughts stage under wraps.
"We've got today's stage to think about, when you start thinking about others you take you eye off the ball," he told AFP.
"But our aim is to be at the front driving the race."
Most teams have reconnoitred the cobblestones, and probably all will be using special frames to help absorb the shocks.
In total there are 13.15 km of cobblestones, with the final sector of 2.3km at Haveluy -- rated as one of the most difficult -- ending 7.7km from the finish.
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